Index to History of Bureau County,Illinois,1885,New Bedford,Fairfield Twp,Greenville
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History Bureau County 1885 > Fairfield Township 1885

From History of Bureau Co. 1885, edited by H.C. Bradsby

Page 428

Fairfield - This township is in the extreme northwest part of the county. It is thirty-six full sections, and noted as the Green River swamps for a long time. When Green River is high it overflowed its banks on Section 1 in this township, and passing through and along by Sodtown, nearly innundated the whole, and the waters passed down into Gold and entered the south branch of Green River. A third ditch commences in Section 36, circles into 35, thence into Section 3, in Gold and on to the river. The swamp lands in Fairfield were surveyed in 1852. At that time much of the land ahd not been entered. The postoffice is Yorktown. The northwest part of the county remained without a single settler for years after the other portions were taken up and occupied. In 1838 Francis Adams and James D. Bingham made claims on Sections 23 and 24. the next year Samuel D. Brady settled on 14, and he was the oldest settler in the township when the surveys were made. In 1840 William Adams located on 12; in 1842 Jacob Sells, Elijah Olmstead, Daniel Davis, and Lewis H. Burroughs. Yorktown was commenced in 1846 by W. and S. Dow, R. H. and S. W. Sheldon, and the McKinzies. M. A. Myers, H. Hays, D. Baitz, W. H. Chase, Alden Booth and Henry Thackerberry were the early settlers.

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